Goan! Don’t allow state politics to be a family affair
By Nisser Dias
nisserdias at gmail.com
SMS to 9422437029
Benaulim MLA and former Tourism minister Mickky Pacheco last week spelt
out his plans for the forth coming assembly election slated for 2012.
His disclosure of fielding candidates in all the 40 constituencies did
not really come as a surprise, because it is an open secret that the
present lot of MLAs, especially those of the India’s oldest political
party Congress and others affiliated to it (coalition MLAs) have plans
to get their family members into the political scenario.
Goans have been bemoaning the level of corruption in the present day
government led by the beleaguered chief minister Digambar Kamat, who has
given a ‘carte blanc’ to his ministers to loot, rob and plunder the
Goa’s exchequer and rape Goa of its natural beauty through illegal
mining and blatant construction with the blessing of the ministers by
cutting hills, sand dunes and filling low lying areas.
With such malpractices and illegal activities almost all the ministers
in the Kamat led coalition government have amassed wealth to sustain
their generation to come but are still not satisfied, so much so that
they want to bring in their children and spouses not only to amass
ill-gotten wealth, but also to hold the government to ransom when either
a police complaint or criminal case is ought to be registered against
them for their illegal activities.
Infact PWD minister and Navelim MLA Churchill Alemao has used such
tactics during this tenure when he threatened to topple the government
if Mickky Pacheco was inducted in the ministry by dropping Revenue
minister Jose Philip D’souza and a second time was when Education
minister Babush Monserrate was caught at the Bombay airport with huge
amounts of currency Indian as well as foreign.
Nobody will forget that Churchill Alemao not only strong-armed his way
into Kamat led government using toppling bid, but at the same time
unseated Sudin Dhavlikar from the ministry and bagged the plum PWD
portfolio with which he is alleged to have amassed huge wealth. Now he
wants to introduce his daughter Valanka Alemao into the state politics.
Joaquim Alemao wants to introduce his son Yuri Alemao. God forbid if
four members of a family are given the mandate by the people of the
state, there will be no end to ransom games of Churchill Alemao, till
his will is done. Lest we forget Churchill was the first legislator to
start toppling trend in Goa way back in 1991 and that too during his
very first stint in the assembly. He toppled Pratapsing Rane to become
the chief minister of 19 days and then handed the reins to Dr. Proto
Barbosa.
Whether Congress party gives ticket to all the four members of a family
is to be seen. At the last hustings Joaquim Alemao bagged the Congress
ticket, while Churchill had got elected on Save Goa party. History is
going to repeat itself this time too and he knows it well. PWD minister
has his office in Varca, however there is no Congress party flag nor the
picture of the president of the party Sonia Gandhi decorating it. Of
course Valanka has recently pictured with Rahul Gandhi but those are for
the attics. Besides introducing his family members, he is likely to
bank-roll some other candidates in the state who will later owe
allegiance to him.
Unlike Churchill, Benaulim MLA Mickky Pacheco has not been discreet and
loud mouth that he is has disclosed his plans. The former minister has
not been in power for almost two years, it would be amusing to observe
how he finances forty candidates in the state. Ironically for the last
more than two years he was grooming a candidate for Benaulim
constituency, however the person backed out after Pacheco alleged told
him to keep Rs. Four crores ready for elections expenses. Mickky too has
introduced his partner Viola for Cortalim constituency. But is yet to be
seen whether the government scuttles his plans by reserving the
constituency for Schedule Tribe community.
Likewise Health minister Viswajit Rane is alleged to be grooming his
wife to replace his father’s seat in case Pratapsing Rane was nominated
for Rajya Sabha. However with renomination of Shantaram Naik, we will
have to wait and watch the developments. Education minister Babush
Monseratte has already announced that he would be contesting the next
assembly election against Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar in the
Panjim constituency. Jennifer Monseratte wife of Babush is likely to
contest from Taleigao.
Then we have Home minister Ravi Naik backing his son Roy Naik to contest
in Mayem assembly constituency. Roy has a colourful background as in
recent times he has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Then we
have Subhash Narvekar brother of Dayanand Narvekar who is trying his
luck again. Revenue minister Jose Philip D’souza’s brother Pascoal
D’souza is contemplating to jump in the fray. Two Dhavlikar brothers are
already in the scene.
This is the scenario as of now, as time draws closer there will surely
be some other developments. But the question before us today is, should
we allow these handful of self centered political families to rule 15
lakh population. Till recently some handful of families had raped Goa of
its mining reserves, but today some politicians have got a share in it
through either machinery being deployed in the mines or transportation
or illegal mining and even robbing mine ore and selling it.
The current politicians have made bureaucrats IPS as well GPS their
puppets one can easily imagine what they will do when they have numbers
in terms of family members to support them in their evil designs. Jobs
are dished out not on merit basis but the basis of who can shell out the
price tag on the designated position.
The police department is totally politicized; the men in uniform conduct
investigation as per the whims and fancies of politicians. At the moment
the police are not protecting those who pay their wages, but those who
pay their bribes.
At the moment Digambar Kamat led government is not functioning as a
government should but as per the dictum of the ministers. What will
happen when we have family members as legislators. Will they not demand
that all of them be made ministers and then demand lucrative portfolios.
Coming election they will dish out biryani, chicken, alcohol and Rs 500
to vote for them but in turn they will reap crores of rupees for the
next five years. Fellow Goans! The upcoming state assembly elections are
very crucial to Goa and Goans. If we cast our ballot in favour of these
political families we are surely doomed. If there are any Goans worth
their salt, spread the message to vote against those who are introducing
their kith and kin to hold Goa ransom and destroy it to oblivion. (ENDS)
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First published in Gomantak Times, Goa - July 14, 2011
